Financial Aid Advisor I

ULSA University of Louisville; United States; On-site; USD 28,000 - 39,000; Full time

Job summary

The Financial Aid Advisor at the University of Louisville supports the FOSM team with scholarship processing, reporting, and student service on Belknap Campus. It focuses on intake, tracking, posting, and reconciliation for outside scholarships, ensuring accurate records and timely payments.

Under guidance, you review documentation, adjust awards, respond to inquiries, and prepare routine reports, while referring complex issues to supervisors.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a related field or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Two years of related work experience.
• Experience in customer service, administrative support, payment processing, or records management.
• Familiarity with financial aid or scholarship programs, including outside scholarships.
• Experience with PeopleSoft or another student information system.
• Experience using Excel or similar tools to track information, compare records, and support reconciliation.

Responsibilities

• Receive and review outside scholarship notices, award letters, checks, and related documentation.
• Match awards to student records; record award amounts, payment status, scholarship provider instructions, and applicable terms; request missing information; and maintain organized records of pending and completed awards.
• Coordinate receipt and routing of outside scholarship payments with the Bursar and other responsible offices.
• Enter awards and distribute funds across terms according to provider instructions and established procedures.
• Track anticipated and received payments, follow-up on outstanding items, and assist with returned payments or refunds as directed.
• Review outside scholarship information alongside existing aid using established checklists and system reports.
• Process routine award updates within assigned authority, identify potential duplicate awards or conflicting information, and refer potential over awards, eligibility exceptions, or unclear provider restrictions for supervisory review.
• Serve as a routine contact for students, families, and outside scholarship providers regarding submission requirements, payment status, and processing timelines.
• Explain established procedures, provide timely follow-up, and document contacts.
• Share student information only through approved procedures and refer requests requiring additional authorization.
• Assist with assigned institutional, departmental, and state aid processing.
• Review required documentation, enter or adjust awards, and complete routine eligibility checks under established guidelines.
• Work with team members and campus partners to resolve standard discrepancies and route complex issues to the Coordinator or Assistant Director.
• Compare scholarship records, payment information, and system reports to identify missing payments, duplicate entries, incorrect amounts, and other discrepancies.
• Prepare routine reports and supporting documentation, complete assigned reconciliation tasks, and assist with corrections under supervisory guidance.
• Monitor assigned email accounts and service queues; receive, route, and process forms and requests; issue approved communications; and maintain accurate case notes and records.
• Organize work by established priorities and deadlines and bring unresolved or aging items to the supervisor’s attention.
• Use PeopleSoft Campus Solutions, Excel, approved queries, and other office systems to process transactions and monitor assigned work.
• Assist with routine fiscal records, account documentation, and reporting, including Workday Finance tasks as assigned and trained.
• Follow established controls for data entry and record retention.
• Provide basic guidance on application and eligibility requirements for federal, state, private, and institutional aid using approved resources.
• Participate in training and cross‑training, identify recurring processing issues, suggest practical improvements, and provide administrative and peak‑period support.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

Skills

Customer service

Administrative support

Payment processing

Records management

Financial aid knowledge

PeopleSoft

Excel/Spreadsheet skills

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Tools

PeopleSoft

Job description

Department: Location: Belknap Campus Time Type: Full time Worker Type: Regular Job Req ID: R109663 Minimum Requirements: Bachelors degree in a related field or an equivalent combination of education and experience. Grade 3 (Hourly)

Position Description:

The Financial Aid Advisor at the University of Louisville provides student service and day-to-day scholarship processing support within the Fiscal, Operational, and Scholarship Management (FOSM) team. A primary focus is the intake, tracking, posting, and reconciliation support for outside scholarships awarded by organizations outside the university. The position helps ensure that scholarship information and payments are recorded accurately, processed promptly, and coordinated with students’ other financial aid. Under the direction of the Coordinator and with program guidance from the Assistant Director, the Advisor follows established procedures to review documentation, enter and adjust awards, respond to inquiries, prepare routine reports, and resolve standard processing discrepancies. The position supports the team’s scholarship, state aid, fiscal, and communications activities and refers exceptions, complex eligibility questions, and policy decisions to the appropriate supervisor. Training and ongoing guidance support the development of financial aid knowledge and processing skills.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Outside Scholarship Intake and Tracking.

• Receive and review outside scholarship notices, award letters, checks, and related documentation.
• Match awards to student records; record award amounts, payment status, scholarship provider instructions, and applicable terms; request missing information; and maintain organized records of pending and completed awards.

Outside Scholarship Payment Processing.

• Coordinate receipt and routing of outside scholarship payments with the Bursar and other responsible offices.
• Enter awards and distribute funds across terms according to provider instructions and established procedures.
• Track anticipated and received payments, follow-up on outstanding items, and assist with returned payments or refunds as directed.

Outside Scholarship Award Coordination.

• Review outside scholarship information alongside existing aid using established checklists and system reports.
• Process routine award updates within assigned authority, identify potential duplicate awards or conflicting information, and refer potential over awards, eligibility exceptions, or unclear provider restrictions for supervisory review.

Student and Scholarship Provider Service.

• Serve as a routine contact for students, families, and outside scholarship providers regarding submission requirements, payment status, and processing timelines.
• Explain established procedures, provide timely follow-up, and document contacts.
• Share student information only through approved procedures and refer requests requiring additional authorization.

Scholarship and State Aid Support.

• Assist with assigned institutional, departmental, and state aid processing.
• Review required documentation, enter or adjust awards, and complete routine eligibility checks under established guidelines.
• Work with team members and campus partners to resolve standard discrepancies and route complex issues to the Coordinator or Assistant Director.

Reconciliation and Data Quality Support.

• Compare scholarship records, payment information, and system reports to identify missing payments, duplicate entries, incorrect amounts, and other discrepancies.
• Prepare routine reports and supporting documentation, complete assigned reconciliation tasks, and assist with corrections under supervisory guidance.

Communications and Workflow Queues.

• Monitor assigned email accounts and service queues; receive, route, and process forms and requests; issue approved communications; and maintain accurate case notes and records.
• Organize work by established priorities and deadlines and bring unresolved or aging items to the supervisor’s attention.

Systems and Fiscal Support.

• Use PeopleSoft Campus Solutions, Excel, approved queries, and other office systems to process transactions and monitor assigned work.
• Assist with routine fiscal records, account documentation, and reporting, including Workday Finance tasks as assigned and trained.
• Follow established controls for data entry and record retention.

General Advising and Team Support.

• Provide basic guidance on application and eligibility requirements for federal, state, private, and institutional aid using approved resources.
• Participate in training and cross‑training, identify recurring processing issues, suggest practical improvements, and provide administrative and peak‑period support.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

Preferred Qualifications

• Two years of related work experience.
• Experience in customer service, administrative support, payment processing, or records management.
• Familiarity with financial aid or scholarship programs, including outside scholarships.
• Experience with PeopleSoft or another student information system.
• Experience using Excel or similar tools to track information, compare records, and support reconciliation.

Competencies

• Accuracy: Reviews documentation carefully and maintains complete, reliable records.
• Student Service: Provides courteous assistance and explains routine requirements clearly.
• Organization: Tracks pending work, meets deadlines, and follows established priorities.
• Problem Solving: Identifies discrepancies, uses approved resources, and recognizes when to ask for guidance.
• Learning and Adaptability: Develops program and system knowledge through training and applies feedback.
• Teamwork: Communicates with colleagues and partners and contributes to shared workloads.
• Confidentiality: Handles student and financial information appropriately and follows approved access and disclosure procedures.

Compensation will be commensurate to candidate experience.

Equal Employment Opportunity

The University of Louisville is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. The University strives to provide equal employment opportunity on the basis of merit and without unlawful discrimination on the basis of race, sex, age, color, national origin, ethnicity, creed, religion, disability, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, veteran status, marital status, or pregnancy. In accordance with the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Vietnam Era Veteran Readjustment Act of 1974, the University prohibits job discrimination of individuals with disabilities, Vietnam era veterans, qualified special disabled veterans, recently separated veterans, and other protected veterans. The University acknowledges its obligations to ensure affirmative steps are taken to ensure equal employment opportunities for all employees and applicants for employment. It is the policy of the University that no employee or applicant for employment be subject to unlawful discrimination in terms of recruitment, hiring, promotion, contract, contract renewal, tenure, compensation, benefits, and/or working conditions. No employee or applicant for employment is required to endorse or condemn a specific ideology, political viewpoint, or social viewpoint to be eligible for hiring, contract renewal, tenure, or promotion. Consistent with applicable law, demographic information is collected for aggregate reporting requirements. Demographic information provided through this application is not available to hiring managers/committees and is not considered in hiring or employment decisions.

Assistance and Accommodations

Computers are available for application submission at the Human Resources Department located at 2315 South First Street Walk, Room 02C - Louisville, Kentucky 40292. If you require assistance or accommodation with our online application process, please contact us by email at [e-mail] or by phone [phone].

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